Premature Maturation Caused by Steroid's Abuse

Jose Angel Favela


Since 1991 the consumption of anabolic steroids has been growing, especially in teenagers. The fact that the consumption has been rising, is making the problem of premature maturation bigger and bigger.This does not mean that teenagers are exempt from showing the normal side effects of consuming steroids, actually they may develop all of them together with premature maturation.

When a teenager consumes steroids, he is accelerating the natural process of development called adolesence, in this process the body develops physically and mentally. If a kid is thirteen years old, he is starting the adolesence period. If he starts using steroids, he would stop the bone growing process, he would not grow as tall as if he had not used steroids.

“Teens who abuse steroids run the risk of having short stature for the rest of their lives.” (Melissa Conrad Stöppler)4

Premature sexual development is the other part of premature maturation. Aside the bone lengthening problem, the teenager will also develop his sexual organs at a very young age.
Jack is an example of a teenager who in an attempt to get stronger, started to use steroids, but realized too late that it was harmful to his body.

Jack is a member of a local health club and former football player at Virginia Tech who exclaims, “I wanted the body of a 25-year old pro athlete at eighteen years old. What I didn’t understand was that at 18, I was still growing.” (http://www.steroidabuse.com/steroid-use-in-high-schools.html)

1-http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensteroids.html
2-http://www.livestrong.com/article/13951-steroids/
3-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolic_steroids#Adverse_effects
4-http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52945
5-http://www.steroidabuse.com/steroid-use-in-high-schools.html